In the end, it was neither the Tesla he famously drove to a 2023 Christmas lunch for the poor, prompting a wave of criticism, nor his passion for kitesurfing, which reportedly took him to South America several times, that forced Alessandria Bishop Guido Gallese to step down.

What ultimately pushed him to the brink, leading to his resignation yesterday morning and its acceptance by Pope Leo XIV, were apparently his deteriorating relations with part of the clergy and Catholic communities in the area, after nearly 14 years marked by more than a little friction.

“Sometimes truly caring for a community means having the courage and humility, when you sense that everyone is struggling, to take a step back for the good of all. Alessandria I,ts people, its faces and its stories, will remain forever in my prayers and in my heart,” said Gallese, now bishop emeritus.

The Vatican has already given him a new assignment as spiritual adviser to the National Shrine Network. It is hardly a prominent position in the church hierarchy, particularly for someone leaving the leadership of a well-established diocese, but it is enough to give Gallese a dignified exit.

For those accustomed to reading the Holy See’s decisions, it is a way of removing him firmly from a difficult position while doing so with discretion.

After years of reports and complaints sent to Rome by clergy and some groups of faithful, who had struggled with Gallese’s reorganizations and management style, the turning point in the “Alessandria case” came last winter with an apostolic visitation by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, a senior Vatican envoy sent to the city.

The goal was to finally shed light on the bishop’s conduct and determine whether the discontent had a legitimate basis.

In the public eye, however, it was Gallese’s lifestyle rather than the tensions and infighting that drew the most attention. Critics considered it too lavish for a man of the Church: the Tesla, the trips, which he repeatedly denied, along with some real-estate investments. In short, a degree of personal extravagance that fueled gossip and apparently raised eyebrows even in Rome.

But behind the headlines, and of greater concern for the Vatican, was something else: the tensions and strained relationships that were eroding the unity and cohesion of the local pastoral community.

Cardinal Bertello’s report refers explicitly to serious, well-documented management problems. And so, after months of silence and turmoil, the saga reached its conclusion yesterday.

“I accept the appointment as spiritual adviser to the National Shrine Coordination with profound gratitude,” Gallese said shortly after news of his resignation broke. “Alessandria was my home for nearly 14 years, the family with whom I shared joys, hardships, prayers and the faces I carry in my heart. Within me, there is still the peace and serenity to begin again.”

Gallese’s final farewell to the community is scheduled for Oct. 4. In the meantime, the Vatican has instructed Luigi Testore, bishop of nearby Acqui Terme, to oversee the diocese during the period of sede vacante, while a permanent successor is sought.

His task will be to begin repairing the cracks left by the upheaval of recent months and by the preliminary tremors that have shaken the diocese over many years.

Pope Leo made the decision partly because of the geographic proximity of the two dioceses, as is customary, but perhaps also because Testore has shown an ability to mend divisions, reorganize troubled institutions and start anew.

The 74-year-old bishop demonstrated that at Acqui, which Pope Francis entrusted to him in 2018 at a delicate moment for the diocese, one of Italy’s oldest that was struggling with serious financial problems and a real-estate scandal that was even featured on the Italian TV program Le Iene.

Testore managed to get the ship back on course, earning the Vatican’s respect and confidence in the process.

“At Alessandria, however, I understand that the problems are not financial,” the new apostolic administrator says. “My task over the next three or four months will be to lay the groundwork for the future and then hand things over to the next bishop.”

If one is appointed, the Holy See is working on a territorial reorganization plan, and some believe it may seize the opportunity to merge the two dioceses.